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I can only sit here and shake my head.. It is simply not possible for me 
to 
express how profoundly I dis-agree with you both... So I'm not even going 
to try... 

-- 
Jack 
mailto:[log in to unmask]





On Tue, 16 May 2006, David Poehlman wrote:

> Check http://listserv.icors.org/archives/vicug-l.html for list archives
> 
> 
> ....and lest some of you beleive Mike and I are in collusion on this, I just
> now saw this message.  I canonly say though that I agree and Thanks Mike for
> posting.
> 
> On May 15, 2006, at 12:36 PM, Michael Barber wrote:
> 
> Check http://listserv.icors.org/archives/vicug-l.html for list archives
> 
> 
> I have seen that many people are hitting the "Panic Button" because of
> the notice which appeared last week regarding the discontinuation of the
> Web Braille Site.  It's so bad that the President of a national
> organization has already written an article which will appear in their
> June publication.
> I, for one, am not one who is hitting the panic button.  I believe that
> something must have happened which is requiring the temporary closure of
> the site while some things are attended to.  I do think, however, NLS
> could have done a better job with their notice.  I think they should
> have added the word temporary in the notice so people wouldn't get the
> wrong idea.  I'm guessing somebody may have hacked the site or
> something, but I don't know for sure.
> Below is something I saw from another List.  Included  in this posting
> is a note from Frank Kurt Cylke, and even though it's short, I think it
> got right to the point.
> 
> 
> Dear Mr. Cylke,
> I know that you don't know me, so please forgive my barging into your
> inbox. I got your address from someone who passed it along on an e-mail
> discussion
> list pertaining to the use of the BrailleNote note-taker.
> I'm writing to you this evening to tell you that I was quite surprised
> and
> disappointed yesterday to find that the Web Braille service is shut
> down.
> The
> Web Braille service has been my primary source of electronic Braille
> books
> for the past six years, and, as an avid reader, I can tell you that the
> removal
> of the service was a shocking blow.  It will be sorely missed by all of
> us
> throughout the country who have derived immense pleasure from being able
> to freely download books whenever we get the urge to read. Thus I'm
> compelled to write to you this evening, as others undoubtedly will,
> imploring NLS to consider reinstating the service.  If that's not
> possible, for technical or security reasons, it is my sincere hope that
> a suitable
> alternative, with an even greater wealth of reading material, will be
> provided
> as soon as possible.
>   Sincerely,
> Tom Lange
> 
> 
> Mr. Cylke kindly replied:
> 
>  Mr. LANGE: Web-braille will be back soon. Thank you for your thoughtful
> 
> message. Kurt Cylke ... P.S. Please feeel free to "barge in" anytime.
> Kurt
> Cylke
> 
> Frank Kurt Cylke, Director
> National Library Service for the
>      Blind and Physically Handicapped
> Library of Congress
> Washington, DC 20542
> 
> 202-707-5104
> Fax 202-707-1690
> [log in to unmask]
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Visually Impaired Computer Users' Group List
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Judi Piscitello
> Sent: Monday, May 15, 2006 10:27 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: [VICUG-L] Web Braille Petition
> 
> 
> Check http://listserv.icors.org/archives/vicug-l.html for list archives
> 
> 
> Reasons to sign the online petition (link below article) and to
> encourage AFB, NFB and other organizations to advocate as well:
> 
> The Mosen Explosion (Blog)
> Friday, May 12, 2006
> 
> The Demise of Web Braille
> 
> By Jonathan Mosen
> 
> Since it became known that the US Library of Congress's National Library
> Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) was closing Web
> Braille apparently on a temporary basis, there has been much speculation
> as to why. At the time of posting, the only official comment I have read
> from NLS is that the sight has been closed for security reasons and that
> they hope the closure will be short lived.
> 
> My immediate thoughts on this are threefold.
> 
> Firstly, I hope that members of both consumer organisations are not just
> writing to NLS, which they certainly should be doing, but also writing
> to the leadership of their consumer organisation to ask for the maximum
> possible advocacy effort on this matter. When it has come to issues such
> as promoting Braille and access to blindness services, both
> organisations have a good track record of burying what differences exist
> and working together for the common good of all Americans. I sincerely
> hope that advocating strenuously for the return of Web Braille is an
> issue that falls into this category. Both organisations have gifted
> blind advocates who serve Americans well. Let's hope that talent can be
> pooled for the sake of this important issue.
> 
> Secondly, blind Americans are tax payers too. A service they have come
> to depend on and value has been taken away from them, with very little
> explanation. We need to know more about the nature of the security
> concern.  Does the security concern relate to the potential to back
> translate Braille material? Are accounts compromised in some way? Is it
> something else? We don't yet, as far as I am aware, know why the service
> was suddenly pulled, and we need to. Surely a Government department
> funded by US taxes has a duty to be much more forthcoming with
> information. Blind people can speculate all they like on the reasons,
> but that speculation is unhelpful and merely adds to the confusion. The
> first step to understanding the shut-down is to be informed as to the
> reasons for it. Again, if there is an issue, there are many gifted blind
> technology experts who'd be glad to lend their expertise to the problem.
> 
> Thirdly, while I support wholeheartedly the endeavours of each and every
> person who seeks to have this service restored, I would urge those
> affected by the Web Braille shut-down to take a moment to reflect on how
> much they value the service, and how many people throughout the world
> cannot access a similar service. Special format material is a precious
> and scarce resource.  It seems to me a tragedy that, with the shortage
> of special format material that exists as compared with the millions of
> titles available to sighted people in print, more isn't done to minimise
> duplication of effort in
> special format production, and to facilitate the sharing of that
> material.
> 
> Mechanisms need to exist for greater sharing of special format material
> between countries which have similar copyright laws. For example, my
> view is that those outside of the US, living in countries with copyright
> laws that support the provision of special format material by prescribed
> organisations without having to seek the permission of the copyright
> holder, should be able to access Web Braille for a fee. Web Braille is
> paid for by US tax dollars, and it is not my view that non-US blind
> citizens should somehow enjoy a free ride off the US tax payer. It's
> interesting to note though that given the huge foreign aid budget of
> many western countries, the US included, allowing a few blind people
> outside of the US to access the service would be a mere drop in the
> bucket, particularly if the processing was handled by an appropriate
> blindness agency in the country in question.  US citizens should also
> have reciprocal rights in countries where similar services are
> available.
> 
> All of us as blind people know how frustrating it can be to get access
> to what we want to read. If the will truly existed, ways could be found
> to better facilitate the sharing of special format material. It's the
> right thing to do, and it is an area where the US is uniquely positioned
> to lead the way. It would mean that five or six copies of the same book
> would no longer need to be produced in different countries, which is a
> shameful nonsense and a waste of resources.
> 
> So let's hope an explanation is forthcoming, the consumer organisations
> work together to get the service restored, and that US citizens use this
> down time to think about how it is for many blind people around the
> world, and perhaps develop a bit of compassion as a result.
> 
> Oh and a final thought. Please spare a thought for blind people working
> for NLS right now. I have no doubt it's not easy when one would like to
> be more forthcoming to one's fellow blind people, but for whatever
> reason cannot be.
> 
> http://jmosen.livejournal.com/244287.html
> 
> 
> Please help us restore Web Braille by signing the online petition at:
> 
> http://www.PetitionOnline.com/braille/petition.html
> 
> 
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